'Australia's Got Talent' switches spices: Scary out, Ginger in

SYDNEY, April 30

SYDNEY, April 30 One of Australia's top-rated
talent shows has a new spice mix.

Geri Halliwell, known as Ginger Spice when she was part of
the Spice Girls, has replaced former bandmate Melanie Brown, aka
Scary Spice, as a judge on "Australia's Got Talent", broadcaster
Channel Nine said on Tuesday.

The switch comes after Australia's Supreme Court blocked
Brown's appearance on the show, ruling she had breached her
contract with the rival Seven Network when she attempted to
defect to Nine. The court barred Brown from working for any
other network until January 2014.

Nine bought the rights to "Australia's Got Talent" late last
year after the program was dropped by Seven.

"I think shows like this are brilliant and I love the
opportunity they give to normal everyday people," Halliwell said
in a statement.

The "Got Talent" format, where contestants show off a
variety of skills from singing to dog handling, airs in more
than 50 territories globally.

Halliwell will join Australian singer Timomatic, British
comedienne Dawn French and controversial Australian radio host
Kyle Sandilands on the judging panel for the show's seventh
season.

The Spice Girls, a British pop girl group, were in their
heyday in the 1990s, topping charts globally with "Wannabe".
(Reporting By Thuy Ong, Editing by Jane Wardell and Elaine
Lies)